NEXT. BREAST CANCER MONTH IS OVER BUT THE QUEST FOR A CURE GOES ON ALL YEAR. THE LIVES OF FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES TO BREAST CANCER MUST GO ON AS WELL. IT'S NOT EASY. ONE LOCAL FAMILY KNOWS THE PAIN ALL TOO WELL. THEY LOST TWO BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MOTHERS. TONIGHT, A MESSAGE FROM HUSBANDS LEFT BEHIND. HANG ON, AMELIA. BUSY BACKYARD SIX MONTHS AFTER THIS YOUNG FAMILY LOST THEIR HEART. I WANT TO SWING. GO SWING. MIKE HOLM HAS HIS HANDS FULL AS NEWLY SINGLE DAD. INDEPENDENT ALL KNEEL I CAN'T AMELIA WHO MAKES TAKES AFTER HER MOM, I'M TOLD. SHE OCCASIONALLY SAYS THINGS. BUT THEY ARE DOING VERY GOOD. RESILIENT. AFTER LOSING THEIR MOM TO BREAST CANCER THIS APRIL. YOU ARE SO GOOD. MARY HOLM SPOKE WITH CHANNEL 4 LAST YEAR AS SHE BRAVELY FACED THE DISEASE. IT'S HARD. IT'S HARD. THIS YOUNG MOTHER WHO WAS BEING TREATED FOR HER OWN BREAST CANCER WAS STILL STUNNED OVER THE LOSS OF HER SISTER DEBBIE TO THE SAME DISEASE. DEBBIE WAS DIAGNOSED WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH HER THIRD CHILD. THAT'S WHEN MARY SHE, TOO, CALLED THE BREAST CANCER GENE. SHE TESTED FOR THE GENE, FOUND OUT SHE WAS POSITIVE FOR IT WHEN HER SISTER WAS GOING THROUGH TREATMENT. AT THAT TIME, WE JUST HAD CHRISTOPHER. WE WANTED ANOTHER CHILD, HOPEFULLY A GIRL. WE HAD KAITLIN. JUST LIKE HER SISTER, FOR MARY, FAMILY CAME FIRST. WE DECIDED AFTER SHE WAS DONE BREAST-FEEDING WE COULD GO AHEAD AND DO A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY AND DO EVERYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD DO. BUT GOD'S PLAN WAS TO HAVE AMELIA. AFTER THE THIRD BABY ARRIVED AND MARY WAS BREAST-FEED SOMETHING WHEN SHE NOTICED CHANGES. SWELLING, SOME REDNESS IN HER RIGHT BREAST. CANCER. WE NEVER EXPECTED THAT IT COULD HAPPEN A SECOND TIME. MARY AND DEBBIE'S MOM AND DAD, BARBARA AND TOMORROW RUSSO, HEART BROKEN, THEY HAD TO BURY BOTH THEIR DAUGHTERS WITHIN THREE YEARS BUT SO VERY PROUD OF HOW THEIR GIRLS STOOD UP TO THE AGGRESSIVE CANCER THAT RUNS IN TOM'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY. FIRST, DEBBIE. SHE WAS VERY STRONG. SHE FOUGHT LIKE CRAZY. AND I'M PROUD OF HER. I'M GLAD I WAS THERE EVERY MINUTE. BUT THEN I HAD MARY TO MOURN WITH. BECAUSE MARY AND I MOURNED HER TOGETHER AND WE WOULD BE MIXING UP SOME COOKIES AND SAY, OKAY, MAGIC DEBBY WOULD SAY ABOUT THAT, WE WOULD LAUGH AND THEN CRY AND THEN LAUGH AGAIN. SO I HAD HER TO GO THROUGH IT WITH. SO BASICALLY FOR ME IT'S BEEN HARDER LOSING MARY. MY FAVORITE PICTURE IS OF THE GIRLS BECAUSE I THINK IT REPRESENTS WHO THEY WERE BECAUSE THEY WERE ALWAYS PLAYING. THE BEST OF FRIENDS. BESTED FRIENDS THROUGH THEIR LIVES. THEY DID EVERYTHING TOGETHER. BUT NOW, BOTH ARE BURIED JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM THEIR CHILDHOOD HOME. A PLACE FOR THEIR LOVED ONES TO FIND PEACE AND REFLECT. I CAN'T IMAGINE LOSING TWO DAUGHTERS. I CAN'T IMAGINE LOSING ONE DAUGHTER, BUT TWO, CERTAINLY DEVASTATING. MIKE HOLM SAYS HIS IN-LAWS ARE THE STRONGEST PEOPLE HE KNOWS AND CREDITS THEIR UNYIELDING FAITH. I'M SO GLAD HE HAS A PLACE TO EXPRESS HIMSELF. HE IS SO STRONG THAT HE KEEPS EVERYTHING IN. THE RUSSOS ADMIRE THEIR SON-IN-LAW'S STRENGTH. FACEBOOK, IT TURNS OUT, IS HEALING. MICHAEL POSTED A PHOTO SAYING I LOVE YOU. IF LOVE COULD HAVE SAVED YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE LIVED FOREVER. HOW OFTEN DO YOU COME OUT HERE AND -- NOT OFTEN ENOUGH. WEEDING HAS TAKEN A BACK SEAT THESE DAYS AS HE WATCHES HIS LITTLE ONES CAREFULLY. WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE AND FOR YOUR DAUGHTER'S FUTURE? WELL, WITH AMELIA SO YOUNG, FINDING A CURE OR GENETIC SOLUTION. THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS WITH THEIR FAMILIES, THAT WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE GOAL. AS FOR ANYONE DEBATING WHETHER TO BE TESTED FOR THE GENE. GO AND GET TESTED, MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION. HE DOES WANT HIS DAUGHTERS TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THEIR MOM'S HEALTH WHEN THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND. I WILL BE ABLE TO TELL THEM THEIR MOTHER'S STORY AND LET THEM MAKE A DECISION. SO WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE THEN. THAT'S 10, 15 YEARS AWAY. WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT BE OUT THERE. IN THE MEANTIME, HIS LITTLE GIRLS OF HIS ARE A CONSTANT REMINDER OF THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE. THEY LOOK SO MUCH LIKE HER. IT'S A LITTLE TOUGH. IT IS SPECIAL. HE MISSES HER SO MUCH. I MEAN, WE MISS HER DAUGHTERS, SO MUCH LIKE HER. IT'S GOOD. MIKE HOLM TOLD ME THE FAMILY IS HOPEFUL THAT HIS WIFE'S STORY DOESN'T DIE WITH HER BUT TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE AT LEAST, HELP THEM MAKE A DECISION TOWARD A PLAN. HE TOLD ME THAT SOMEBODY SURVIVES, THAT WAS HER GOAL. HE AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE CREATED A FOUNDATION IN THEIR NAME WHO HELP FAMILIES OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. IT WAS HIS AND MARY'S IDEA WHEN HER SISTER DEBBIE DIED OF BREAST CANCER, THEY PLANNED TO CREATE THE FOUNDATION IN DEBBIE'S NAME. THOSE PLANS CHANGED WITH MARY'S PROGNOSIS. NOW HE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FIRST EVENT BY THAT FOUNDATION. IT'S A LOW COUNTRY BOIL AND BARBECUE, THIS SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16TH. IT'S AT THE MANDARIN COMMUNITY CLUB ON MANDARIN ROAD FROM 5:30 P.M. TO 10. 30. 10:30 FOUNDATION. INFORMATION IS ON NEWS4JAX.COM. INCLUDING A LINK TO REGISTER FOR THE EVENT AND INFORMATION TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE FOUNDATION AND TOM, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT, THEY SAID, THAT THE IDEA IS NOT TO RAISE MONEY FOR RESEARCH IN THIS CASE. THEY WANT TO HELP OTHER FAMILIES. IT'S RAISE AWARENESS BUT ALSO HELP OTHER FAMILIES WHO NEED HELP WHO ARE DEALING WITH THIS KILLER. MIKE HOLM IS A SINGLE DAD, WIDOWER WITH THREE KIDS, HOW IS HE DOING THAT? IT'S REMARKABLE. HE SAYS HE RELIES A LOT ON PRAYER, HIS COMMUNITY, HAVING VARIOUS OUTLETS IS ANOTHER WAY. SOFTBALL, GOLF, WORK. JUST GETTING AWAY FOR FIVE OR TEN MINUTES. MINUTES, OF COURSE, IS GOOD. HAVE A GREAT NANNY. BUT HIS SUPPORT GROUP IS AMAZING THROUGH CHURCH, NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, JUST A WHOLE COMMUNITY. IT'S BEEN AMAZING. IT EXTENDS UP TO INDIANA WHERE HE IS FROM. IT CONTINUES TO TOUCH HIM, EMBRACE HIM. HIS IN-LAWS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. HE SAYS HE COULDN'T DO THAT WITHOUT THEM. AND NOW THANKS TO YOUR STORY THERE WILL BE MORE PEOPLE

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

While Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over, it's important to note, the quest for a cure goes on all year, and the lives of families who have lost loved ones to breast cancer, must go on.

In 2012, Mary Holm shared her story with Channel 4 as she was being treated for her breast cancer. She was still stunned over the loss of her sister Debbie to the same disease. Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was pregnant with her third child and that's when Mary found out that she too carried the BRCA-1 breast cancer gene.

"She was tested for the gene and found out she was positive for it when her sister was going through treatment," explained Mike.

Mary and Mike had one child so far, Christopher.

"At that time, we decided we wanted another child, hopefully a girl, and we had Katelyn."

Just like her sister Debbie, for Mary (pictured below), family came first.

"We decided that, after she was done breastfeeding Katelyn that we'd go ahead and do a double mastectomy and do everything else that we should do. You know, but God's plan was to have Amelia," he explained.

Mike says after Amelia arrived, and Mary was breastfeeding, that's when she noticed changes like swelling and some redness in her right breast. It was cancer.

Mary and Debbie's mom and dad, Barbara and Tom Russo were heartbroken.

"We never expected that it could happen a second time," said Barbara.

They had to bury both their daughters after the same disease took them away. But through the sorrow, they are still so proud of how their girls stood up to the aggressive cancer that runs in Tom's side of the family.

Tom and Barbara described their daughter Debbie.

"She was very strong, she fought like crazy, I'm proud of her and I'm glad I was there every minute," said Tom.

"But then I had Mary to mourn with, you know, because Mary and I mourned together. We'd laugh, and then we'd cry and then we'd laugh again. So I had her to go through it with," said Barbara. "Basically for me, it's been harder losing Mary."

Debbie and Mary were best friends. Through their lives they did everything together. But now, both are buried just around the corner from their childhood home. It's a place for their loved ones to find some peace and reflect.

"I can't imagine losing two daughters. I can't imagine losing one daughter, but two is certainly devastating," said Mike.

He says his in-laws, Barbara and Tom, are the strongest people he knows and credits their unyielding faith.

At the same time, Barbara and Tom admire their son-in-law's strength adding that comments on Facebook have helped with the healing.

Tom read to us from Facebook, "Michael Holm posted a photo to Mary Russo Holm's, says I love you. If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever."

We asked Mike what his hope was for the future and for his daughters' future.

"With Katelyn and Amelia so young, you know finding a cure or a genetic solution so that they don't have to go through this with their families would be my ultimate goal, quest," he said.

As for anyone debating whether to be tested for the gene, he said, ""I would go and get tested. At least you can make an informed decision, and not always wonder 'what if?'

Mike does want his daughters to know the truth about their mom's health when they are old enough to understand.

"I'll be able to tell them their mother's story and let them make the decision," he said. "Who knows what kind of technology will be available then? That's 10, 15 years away. Who knows what might be out there?"

In the meantime, his daughters are a constant reminder of the love of his life. They look so much like Mary.

"It's a little tough, Mike said emotionally. "It makes it special...I mean it's her daughters, they're. so much like her...She's here with them, so that's good."

Mike told us the family is hopeful that his wife's story doesn't die with her, that it helps another family make a plan.

He and Mary Holm's family and friends have created a foundation in her name to help families of breast cancer patients. It actually was Mike and Mary's idea when her sister Debbie died of breast cancer. They had planned to create the foundation in Debbie's name but those plans changed with Mary's prognosis.

The first event is a Low Country Boil & BBQ for all ages Saturday, November 16th at the Mandarin Country Club from 5:30pm - 10:30pm. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 6 to 10. Kids 5 and under are free. All proceeds benefit the Mary E. Holm Foundation. You can register at maryholm.eventbrite.com.

If you would like to make a donation, you can make checks payable to Mar E. Holm Foundation. Please put attention Terri Bowman. You can send the donation to 3901 Carmichael Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida 32207. For questions you can call (904) 813-6369.

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